This invention relates to a garden tool or implement and is particularly concerned with a multi-purpose implement which is particularly suited for effectively performing work normally performed by separate, specialized tools or implements.
Conventional garden tools of the general class here concerned with include elongate manually engageable handles and working heads or blades secured to the ends of the handles. Such tools include hoes which are particularly suited for cutting weeds and the like. The working heads of hoes characteristically include flat plate-like blades on planes substantially normal to the axis of the tool handles and have a single straight cutting edge disposed normal to the axis of the handles. Hoes are such that they must be swung substantially downwardly in a single predetermined sweeping motion to chop weeds and are such that they cannot be effectively pushed or pulled into engagement with the stocks of weeds and the like to effect cutting the weeds.
Hoes are not intended or designed to cultivate or turn soil. When cultivating or turning the soil is sought to be performed, special cultivating tools are commonly employed. The prior art provides cultivating tools in many special forms. The most common cultivating tool is much like a hoe except that the plate-like blade is triangular in shape and has side edges which converge to define an earth-penetrating point. The points on such cultivating tools are disposed substantially laterally outwardly relative to the longitudinal axis of the handles so that upon swinging the tools downwardly in chopping motions, the points of the tools are driven into the earth for subsequent manipulation and turning of the soil.
Cultivators of the character referred to above are not suited for cutting weeds. Further, such tools are ordinarily such that while they might be effectively pulled or dragged through soft earth to turn or till the earth, they cannot effectively and efficiently turn or till the earth by pushing the tools.
When a person wishes to cut weeds, he uses one tool especially designed for that purpose. Should he also wish to cultivate or till the soil, he must have available and selectively use a suitable cultivating tool. Accordingly, when both weeding and cultivating operations are to be performed at the same time, it is normally required that the person have separate tools available for those different operations and that he continually switch or change tools as his work progresses.
The above procedure is extremely inconvenient and has resulted in a long-felt want and need for a single tool which is suitable and effective for both weeding and cultivating.
In working on and about many plants and in working or cultivating many sandy and readily friable soils, it would be most convenient to have a small compact tool which is such that the cutting of weeds and the turning or tilling of soil might be effectively performed by simply pushing and/or pulling the tool by its handle, substantially horizontally across and relative to the work. The clear or apparent need for such a tool is always apparent in those situations where close and careful work must be performed and where clearances about and access to the work site is such as to impede or prevent the use of common hoes and cultivators which must be swung up and down in chopping motions.